Casing material



Patented Nov. 22, 1938 I I UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE CASING MATERIAL Charles T. Walter, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Industrial Patents Corporation, Chicago, 111., a

corporation of Delaware 1 No Drawing. Application December 12, 1936, Serial No. 115,534

6 Claims. (01. 99-176) This invention relates to artificial sausage No. 23,666, filed May 27, 1935, and permits the casings. use of relatively closely woven fabrics in the One of the objects of the invention is to propreparation of casings prepared with a fabric vide a method for the preparation of artificial base and a coating of regenerated cellulose. casings, In preparing casings of the latter type in ac- 5 Another object of the invention is to provide a cordance with the present invention, a relatively novel artificial sausage casing which is inexpenclosely woven cloth is used and treated, as has sive to manufacture and which provides a satisbeen described, with sodium hypochlorite. After factory substitute for animal casings. the fiber tubing is formed, it is coated on the 10 Cloth tubes and cloth sacks have been used outer surface with cellulose viscose which is 10 from time to time for the manufacture of sausage treated so as to regenerate substantially pure meat packages. It is well known that cellulose cellulose from the cellulose viscose as by immercasings made of transparent cellulose tubing are sion in a suitable regenerating bath such as a satisfactory for sausage casings with certain types solution of sodium sulphate acidified slightly with of product. sulphuric acid. I have found that a thin coating 15 The objections to the use of fabric in the manuof cellulose viscose results in a more or less suede facture of a sausage casing are inherent in the finish on the finished casing since the film of material. If the fabric is of sufficient weight and cellulose viscose follows the microscopic contour closeness of weave to provide an effective casing, of the surface of the fabric. A thick coating of it is not readily sliceable with the meat. If the cellulose viscose when so treated becomes quite 20 fabric is light in weave and loosely woven, meat flat and smooth and reflects light in such a mantends to ooze through the interstices. Consener as to give a glossy effect.

quently, fabric casings have been limited to heavy It will be understood, of course, that both sides fabrics which must first be removed in whole or of the base fabric may be coated with cellulose in part before the sausage meat is sliced. viscose. However, I have found that it is more 25 The present invention contemplates the manusatisfactory to coat only the outside of the finfacture of a synthetic sausage casing employing ished casing as the uncoated fabric on the inside I fabric of close weave but of a character which adheres well to the sausage meat after the sausage may be readily cut with the implement used in is processed and sliced, peeling away in the fashslicing the meat. ion of a natural sausage casing. The film of 30 In the preparation of the preferred embodicellulose resulting from the regeneration treatment of this invention, a tube is prepared from ment of the cellulose viscose layer on the outside fabric sufficiently heavy and closely woven to affords protection and renders the casing imobviate the objections inherent in loosely woven pervious to the meat.

fabric for this purpose. I have found that casings prepared in accord- 35 Muslin is a satisfactory fabric for the purpose. ance with the method hereinbefore described pos- Although muslin is of a weave which lends itself sess the desirable properties of both animal sauwell to the preparation of sausage casings, the sage casings and artificial sausage casings. They strength of the threads is such as to prevent may be wetted by water, stretch somewhat, ad-

muslin from being adopted for this purpose. The here firmly to the meat, permit proper curing of 40 present invention contemplates reducing the the meat, permit transmission of smoked flavor, strength of the muslin either before or after it are easily colored artificially, and are mechaniis formed into a tube by immersing the muslin cally strong. in a relatively weak, warm solution of sodium I claim:

hypochlorite. A few minutes immersion is sufii- 1. The method of preparing sausage casings 45 cient to greatly reduce the mechanical strength which comprises preparing a fabric tube from of the threads. The extent of the weakening of closely woven fabric and chemically weakening the fiber depends upon three factors, namely, the the fibers of the fabric. strength of the solution, the temperature of the 2. The method of preparing sausage casings solution, and the time of treatment, and may be which comprises preparing a fabric tube from 50 readily controlled by variation of these factors. closely woven fabric and weakening the fibers I have found cloth treated in this manner to of the fabric by treatment with sodium hypobe a satisfactory base for sausage casings of the chlorite. type described and claimed in my copending ap- 3. The method of preparing casings which complication entitled Artificial sausage casings, Serial prises weakening a fiber tube with sodium hypo- 55 chlorite, coating the weakened tube with cellulose viscose, and regenerating substantially pure cellulose from the cellulose viscose.

4. The method of preparing a sausage casing which comprises chemically weakening the fibers or a, closely woven fabric and forming a tube from the weakened fabric.

5. The method of preparing a sausage casing which comprises weakening the fibers of a closely woven fabric by treatment with sodium hypochlorite and forming a tube from the weakened fabric.

6. The method of preparing a sausage casing which comprises weakening the fibers of a fabric by treatment with sodium hypochlorite, forming a tube from the weakened fabric, coating the tube with cellulose viscose and regenerating substantially pure cellulose from the cellulose viscose. 

